![]() ![]() Duchovny had made it clear that he was not coming back in any capacity, even for a cameo or a guest spot. The eighth season also seemed to push the show forward, embracing the idea of the season arc and serialised storytelling in a way the show had never attempted before. There is a breathtaking energy and ambition to the eighth season that helped to shore up the declining ratings and even win back lost viewers as television ratings were declining across the board. ![]() There is an argument to be made that it is one of the best seasons of the show, with a consistency that was only ever matched by the third season. The eighth season is genuinely underrated. The hunt for Mulder, his inevitable return, and the lingering questions around Scully’s pregnancy created an intriguing narrative framework with clear resolutions. The production team seemed invigorated by the challenge posed by the absence of Mulder. David Duchovny’s schedule imposed a clear structure on the season, forcing the writers to plot and plan ahead of time. Robert Patrick was phenomenal and the character of Doggett was compelling in his own right. Given that Mulder was an iconic and recognisable part of The X-Files, trying to do the show without Mulder was a risky proposition. While this was a significant improvement upon the idea of an eighth season without Duchovny, it still posed a whole host of challenges. At the last minute, he agreed to appear in approximately half of the twenty-one episode season. David Duchovny had grown tired of the demands and restrictions imposed by the show, and had decided to move on to pastures new. In hindsight, it was a minor miracle that the eighth season worked at all. However, there is no getting around the fact that the ninth season is a disaster. Would the show be more fondly remembered? Would the general consensus be that the series had ended in a reasonable place? Would fans be relatively satisfied with what had been offered? Would recommendations of the show be a lot less guarded than they would become in the years ahead? There is no way to know the answers to any of these questions. It is interesting to wonder what might have become of The X-Files had the show ended at any of those three logical end points. The eighth season ended with Mulder and Scully in a happy place in Existence, but was such a success that Fox greenlit a ninth season. A disastrous television season forced Fox to renew the show. At the end of the seventh season, Requiem was written and filmed before anybody knew there would be an eighth season. However, the show was extended for two seasons as ratings declined from their peak. The plan was to wrap things up after five seasons, meaning that The End might have been the end, and that the show might never have moved from Vancouver to Los Angeles. Indeed, The X-Files had several logical end points. ![]() Due to the fact that television audiences tend to drain rather than spontaneously disappear, this meant that the show was arguably extended years past an organic end point. That meant extended season runs, but it also meant that the show was sustained as long as it remained popular. Although it helped shape and define television in the nineties, The X-Files was very much a product of the network television system. However, this was not the television landscape in which The X-Files emerged. This allows shows like Breaking Bad, The Sopranos and Mad Men the chance to conclude at a point where it is organic to do so. There is even a bit more give-and-take when it comes to scheduling shows that do not fit comfortably within the standard hour-long block. Television series are allowed to wrap up on their own terms, even when they are at the height of their popularity. The emergence of cable television has allowed creators a greater degree of freedom in how they want to tell their stories. Things are changing, to a certain extent. Popular shows are seldom allowed to retire at a natural end point, but are instead extended until they reach viable syndication figures or the audience loses interest. The length of a season is typically negotiated between the demands of the creative team and the needs of the network. The length of a television episode is not determined by the volume of the story that needs to be told, but is dictated by the slot allocated it with room left over for advertising. Very few television shows end when they should.Īs much as television might be an artistic medium, it has generally been governed by commercial realities. This December, we’re taking a trip back in time to review the ninth season of The X-Files. ![]()
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